The Chief Operating Officer of Lindsays, Ian Beattie, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Glasgow Caledonian University.
He has been recognised for his achievements in athletics and as a passionate advocate of the role sport plays in improving health and wellbeing. He received the honour during a ceremony at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday 1 July.
On top of his day job with Lindsays, Ian is also Chair of UK Athletics, the sport’s governing body in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Prior to that, he served as Chair of scottishathletics for nine years.
In that role, he was credited with playing a major part in the growth of participation in athletics across Scotland, recognised with an MBE in 2020.
Speaking about his honorary doctorate, which also celebrated his extensive involvement in grassroots sport as a competitor, coach and former race director of the West Highland Way Race, Ian said: “It’s lovely to be recognised in this way.
“These sorts of things come out of the blue and are just a nice surprise. I am really grateful to Glasgow Caledonian University for this honour.
“What’s really nice is that it’s not just about the higher profile roles I have had, but my involvement in the grassroots side, including coaching endurance groups and being involved in several clubs and committees. To have someone recognise the range of that means a lot.”
In his role as COO at Lindsays, Ian - a chartered accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) - is responsible for the firm’s financial and operational performance. And he uses the experience of his business career in his sporting life.
He said: “So much is about strong relationships. I’ve always been a big believer in that.
"At Lindsays we have strong teams who work together. I encourage that in sport too. It’s about getting really good people and giving them an environment where they can flourish, enjoy work, do their best and give them the chance to develop."
“One of the things I’ve learned in my business career is to treat people the way you would like to be treated - be honest, direct, do not shy away from things, give credit where people do a good job and give support where it’s needed.
“My principles of trying to get the best out of the people you work with who, in turn, then work well with others very much comes from the business world.”
Lindsays itself is a significant supporter of grassroots sport in Scotland. The firm this year extended its sponsorship of scottishathletics’ cross country season to its recently concluded road race series, which included a record 1,450 combined field competing in the 5k and 10k events in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The dual sponsorship deal will continue until 2029.
It also has involvement in wider wellbeing work, including as a supporter of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), of which Ian served as vice-chair for a number of years.
He added: “As a firm, we believe strongly in the positive impact that improved health and wellbeing has on people’s’ personal and professional lives.
“Like the relationships we build with our clients, the partnerships we have developed with organisations including scottishathletics and SAMH have been long-term.
“To support organisations which have different core purposes, but similar mindsets, is incredibly rewarding.”
Colleagues have also congratulated Ian on his presentation. Nina Taylor, Chair of Lindsays, said:
“Everyone at the firm is delighted for Ian and this well-deserved recognition. As a business, we encourage our team to support their communities and causes close to their hearts. Ian really leads by example on that.”
As part of its support for community sport in Scotland last month, Lindsays marked the countdown to the return of the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow by hosting the Lindsays Sports Forum - Celebrating a Summer of Athletics.
It saw Ian lead a panel discussion with Denise Lewis and Eilidh Doyle, alongside UK Athletics Chief Executive Jack Buckner, also a former Olympian. The audience included volunteers from local athletics clubs.
